New Indianapolis Colts cornerback Stephon Gilmore chatted with local media members during his introductory press conference on Monday.
The newest member of Indy’s secondary spoke highly of the team’s direction and provided some key insight into his decision to join the Colts.
“I think the Colts came in and I talked to the coaches and it just felt right,” Gilmore said during his introductory press conference Monday, per the Associated Press. “It was one of those things where it just felt right in my heart to come here, especially with the talent on the team.”
Gilmore’s mentality will fit right in with the rest of the team, all of whom are eager to get over that same hump after a disappointing finish to their 2021 season and missing the playoffs for a third time during the last five seasons of the Ballard/Reich tenure.
It was imperative for the Colts to find another starting corner after trading Rock Ya-Sin to the Las Vegas Raiders for defensive end Yannick Ngakoue. In Gilmore, the Colts are getting a big-time playmaker, a former Defensive Player of the Year and a true lockdown corner — something this team hasn’t had in a few seasons.
Gilmore will soon be two seasons removed from a torn quad injury, which cost him a chunk of the 2020 season, but the five-time Pro Bowler reassured fans that his injury is a thing of the past and he’s ready to prove that he can still be one of the better corners in the league in 2022.
“You have to prove yourself every year, so I take that mindset into each and every year,” Gilmore said. “I’ve got to earn it. You can’t do that until you put the work in, until you go out each and every week and earn it.”
One of the deciding factors in Gilmore’s decision to come to Indy was the amount of talent he saw on the defensive side and how he could fit into the Colts’ scheme under new defensive coordinator Gus Bradley.
“We have a lot of great players on the defensive side of the ball and with my skillset, I think I can play anything they want me to play,” Gilmore said.
On paper, this revamped Colts’ defense has the chance to be the best under Ballard and Reich, certainly with the upgrades made at premium positions on that side of the ball.
Gilmore has been watching from afar the last couple of seasons, and he knows that he can help the Colts in the pursuit of their first AFC South title since 2014.
“Watching them from afar last year, what they did and they were right there, I just wanted to come in and try to help the team get over that hump. The future is bright here.”